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Emmanuel Bako

Collin Matiza Sports Editor
RISING Zimbabwean motocross rider Emmanuel Bako is slowly becoming a household name in South Africa. Bako, an eight-year-old Grade Three Pupil at Heritage Primary School in Harare, has this year been competing in that country’s Monster Energy National Championship and the WOMZA Sunoco Super Series events.

Both competitions attract all the top junior and senior motocross riders in South Africa and Bako, who has spent a lot of time riding big tracks in Zimbabwe, has been making his presence felt.

Last month, Bako was in Cape Town for the second round of the 2015 Monster Energy South African National Championship series and he won the 50cc Class.

On Saturday, Bako was in Bloemfontein for the opening round of the 2015 WOMZA Sunoco Super Series where he came third overall in the 50cc Class.

He was the only Zimbabwean rider who took part in this event and showed no ghost of inferiority complex against some top junior South African riders.

In the first heat, Bako’s bike got trapped on the start line but he managed to catch up with the first two riders to cross the finish line in third place.

Bako crashed again in the second and third heat but this did not stop him from taking third places in both instances and was placed third overall behind South Africa’s Wian du Plooy and Lucca Mynhardt after amassing 60 points.

Du Plooy won the event with 72 points, three ahead of Mynhardt while Zimbabwe’s Bako had to settle for third place with his 60 points.

Next up for Bako is the third round of the 2015 Monster Energy South African National Championship scheduled for May 30 in Port Elizabeth.

On May 30, the best motocross riders in South Africa will be joined by a number of top bikers from Zimbabwe at the third round of the 2015 Monster Energy South African National Championship which takes place at Rover in Port Elizabeth.

All the top junior and senior riders from Zimbabwe such as Jayden and Wade Ashwell, Regan Wasmuth, Cameron Thixton, Bako, Kuda Mhene (Jnr), female biker Tanya Muzinda, Mudiwa Chigumba, Davin Cocker, Ryan Masimo, Tristan Grainger and the exciting Daiyaan Manuel, last year’s 50cc pro champion in South Africa, are all expected to take part in this big event in Port Elizabeth.

According to the organisers of the tough six-round Monster Energy South African National Championship series, apart from the Zimbabweans, they will also once again welcome the small contingent of riders from countries like Swaziland and Botswana.

Round two of this competition in Cape Town last month, saw some spectacular racing under the watchful eye of almost 2 000 spectators and heading into round three in Port Elizabeth, the chase for points will start to heat up.

The iconic sand track at the Rover Motocross Club is always a highlight on the race calendar for the competitors and always guaranteed to offer some huge upsets and close racing.